Woodward "Woody" Wolfe

Woodward "Woody" Lee Wolfe, 71, of Spirit Lake formerly of Fort Dodge passed away on Sunday, October 19, 2025 with his family by his side.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, October 25th at 11:00 AM at the Terry Moehnke Veterans Park - Fort Dodge. Military Rites will be conducted by the V.F.W. Post 1856 and the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard. The Fire Fighters Honors will be presented by the Fort Dodge Fire Department. There will be procession to the park at 10:30 AM from Laufersweiler Funeral Home. Visitation will be on Friday from 4:00 to 7:00 PM at the funeral home.

Survivors include his wife of 52 years Laura Wolfe of Spirit Lake, IA, son Nathan (Jennifer) Wolfe of Fort Dodge, son Justin (Annie) Wolfe of Fort Dodge; grandchildren, Alexis (Cory Angstrom) Wolfe of Fort Dodge, Jayden (Matthew Hennessey) Burke of Ankeny, and Dawson Wolfe of Fort Dodge; his great granddaughter, Tilly; siblings, Carol Hinton of Fort Dodge, Sharlene Vote of Farnhamville, Hank (Rhoda) Wolfe of Fort Dodge, Gary (Theresa) Wolfe of Fort Dodge, Lana (Clay) Schmadeke of Fort Dodge, and Dana (Charlene) Wolfe of Fort Dodge; sister-in-law, Tracy Runkel of Fort Dodge, brothers-in-law, Scott Harklau and Eric Harklau both of Fort Dodge, along with numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Nicholas and Betty (Thompson) Wolfe; brother, Wally Wolfe; brothers-in-law, Kyle Harklau, Fred Vote, and Nathan Runkel, and his father and mother-in-law, Marvin and Mickey Harklau.

Woodward Lee Wolfe was born on September 17, 1954 in Fort Dodge. He was raised and educated in Fort Dodge until the 12th grade when he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and graduated from Wichita Kansas High School in 1973. On September 21, 1973 he was united in marriage to Laura Harklau in Fort Dodge and the family established their home. Woody served as a Firefighter in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War until his honorable discharge in 1975, when he returned to Fort Dodge. He worked at Glenn Construction for several years and then in 1977 began his career with the Fort Dodge Fire Department, retiring in 2014 as the Assistant Chief. He spent several years there as a rescue diver. Woody received his Associate of Arts Degree from Iowa Central Community College. He also worked at Sears for over 17 years, specializing in repairs of appliances. He eventually opened his own business, called Woody's Repair Service, which he owned and operated until 2024. Woody was a longtime referee for youth wrestling and helped start the Mid Iowa Wrestling Club. He was "the voice " of Dodger Wrestling for many years. When Justin and Nathan were kids, he was very involved in all their sports, no matter what they were playing he was there helping them. Woody loved to fish and hunt, especially deer and enjoyed making deer salami. He was an avid fan of the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Twins, and the Iowa State Cyclones.

Some of his greatest memories were at their home in Spirit Lake. For more than 30 years family would go boating, fishing, and spend time together. Woody cherished that family time, especially with his kids and grandkids.

Memorials may be left to the discretion of the family.